3 Things to Do When Life Won’t Slow Down

January 23, 2017

Life in your 20s has to be the weirdest, most inconsistent decade of them all. Of course this is a legitimate fact since I’ve lived all of two-and-a-half decades and can therefore draw this logical conclusion.

Think about it: for the average person in their twenties we go from finishing college and living with our best friends, to getting our first real job and living alone, to maybe getting married, to maybe having kids.

That’s a lot of change in a ten-year span.

Just six years ago I was wearing sweats to class and eating Taco Bell every night. Now I…well I still wear sweats most days and eat a lot of Taco Bell, so I’m not proving my point.

But besides my sweatpants and bad eating habits, not much has stayed consistent. Just a little over a year ago I wrote a blog about what to do when life seems slow. I was bored out of my mind and there were way too many hours in a day. Now I’m in a season that feels like there aren’t close to enough hours in a day. I rarely feel like I have time to do the things I actually want to do (hence, my first blog in a month and a half).

Maybe you feel the same way.

So what do we do when life just won’t slow down? Here are three convictions I’ve had lately.

Make Time with the Lord your First Priority.

Yeah, yeah, we know we should. But when we wake up with a million things we have to get done that day, it’s so easy to push this one to the back-burner. Trust me, I know the feeling. I have had plenty of days the last few months when I wake up panicked and open my computer to start working as soon as I can.

I’ve realized when I do this, I never actually come back around to spending time with Him. In fact, my day is usually filled with more panic and worry and my to-do list seems to keep growing. And time with the Lord is at the bottom of that incredibly long list. But what if time with the Lord wasn’t actually a part of our “to-do” list at all? What if it was something that was as much apart of our day as brushing our teeth or eating breakfast – something we know we have to do because our day can’t get started without it?

Lately He’s reminded me that my day truly means nothing without asking Him to lead it. The cool thing is, when I spend time with Him, all of my “to-dos” suddenly get in perspective. I remember that He is with me, and HE fuels my work. I work for His glory. If 5 p.m. hits and I still have work to do, I am free to shut my computer and resume the next day – because my work doesn’t define me – He does.

Schedule, schedule, schedule.

Lately I’ve begun to plan my next day out before I’m done with work the day before. This helps me remember to actually spend time with the Lord, my husband and anything else that is important that can easily get overlooked in a panic of to-dos. It also helps me prioritize my work so big projects don’t sit on the back-burner while I put out fires all day with little tasks. Maybe this is something you already do, but this simple task has been revolutionary for me.

When something calls for my attention that feels urgent, I can remind myself that I have a plan and that’s not my focus right now. I do build in time each day for unexpected tasks, so I know they will still get done in that hour. Sometimes in a busy season we can forget to schedule out our days and weeks because we don’t think we have the time, but the ten minute task can make all the difference.

Make Time for Fun

When is the last time you did something you truly enjoy? If you can’t remember, it may be time to put away the work, find a babysitter, or ask someone for some help so you can get a break.

The older I’m getting, the more I’m realizing the importance of making space in my life to do things that I enjoy. When we are only giving, giving, giving, our tanks eventually hit empty.

Do you feel guilty getting time for yourself? What if I told you It’s actually GOOD for your work and/or your family if you take a break every now and then? It allows you to fuel back up and give more in the long-run because you have energy to give it. Whatever your “fun” is – going on a date, taking a jog, watching a movie, writing a blog – I dare you to schedule it this week. You deserve it. If God rested on the seventh day, I think it’s okay for us to as well. In fact, He tells us to.

Take a deep breath, my friend. Life may be moving quickly, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have any control over our time. Let’s make a pact to spend time with the Lord this week, schedule out our days, and make time for a little fun. Who’s with me?Question: Have you found anything that helps you when life is busy? Please share in the comments below! I’m still a work in progress here…